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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Nevada transfer Alem Huseinović commits to Owls

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The Transfer Portal continues to help supplement the 2022 Rice Basketball recruiting class. Nevada transfer Alem Huseinović has committed to the Owls.

As soon as the final buzzer sounded and the offseason began, Rice basketball recruiting and roster management took center stage. #GreenLightU will always be on the lookout for talented shooting guards, clear

Huseinović spent the last two seasons with the Nevada Wolfpack where he appeared in 43 games. Last He averaged 8.3 minutes per game last season, scoring a season-high eight points against George Mason in November. That usage was up slightly from the 7.6 minutes per game he averaged as a true freshman the year before.

Prior to that, he played his high school ball in Arizona, but it was his international exploits that helped put him on the radar. Huseinović led the Bosnia national team to a championship game appearance in the U16 European Championships, an experience Huseinović called “something that I’ll never forget” adding that it helped him learn “how to play on big stages and learn how to play more mature at a young age.”

When he hit the Transfer Portal, Huseinović drew interest from teams across the country. His recruiting would boil down to Rice, Rider, UC Riverside, Southern Utah, NJIT and NAU. He picked the Owls primarily because of the culture and his fit in the scheme deployed by head coach Scott Pera.

Huseinović sees himself as “a guard who can shoot it and create for myself while making others around me better by creating for them”, all skills that would seem to make him a great fit for the Owls shooting-intensive style.

The second addition from the Transfer Portal during this cycle, Huseinović joins forward Seryee Lewis who announced his transfer from Kansas Stater earlier this spring. You can follow all offseason roster moves with our Rice basketball recruiting and roster tracker here.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Kansas State transfer Seryee Lewis commits to Owls

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The first new addition of the offseason for Rice basketball has been announced. Kansas State transfer Seryee Lewis has committed to the Owls.

The Transfer Portal has become a fixture in college athletics and has become particularly entrenched in college basketball. Rice basketball knows the ebbs and flows of the portal all too well, but they’ve largely been able to down out the somber news with the exciting announcements. This week’s signing falls in the latter category. Kansas State transfer forward Seryee Lewis has committed to the Owls.

A former prep basketball product from Arizona, Lewis committed to Kansas State out of high school, turning down offers from Georgetown, Saint Louis, Illinois-Chicago and others. The three-star prospect was a top 400 player in the nation and the No. 20 player from the state of Arizona. This time around Lewis was pursued by UNLV, Depaul and Cal Berkley, eventually choosing Rice basketball.

Lewis told The Roost Rice was “the place I wanted to be,” voicing his support of what he called “the future plan with the program.”

Coming off the bench during his freshman season with the Wildcats, Lewis played in 18 contests including nine conference games. He’s scored a career-high nine points against No. 2 Baylor in 2021 and is a career 62.5 percent shooter from the floor. Lewis missed the entirety of last season after suffering a preseason injury.

Lewis said the year off has given him time to “recover and work on my game” and that his return would be “something very special to see.” Practically, that means another top-flight rebounded for the Owls. Lewis touts that as one of the strongest aspects of his game along with his versatility.

Head coach Scott Pera announced Lewis had signed his grant-in-aid paperwork on Wednesday, saying Lewis “checks all of the boxes we look for in a student-athlete. He is motivated in the classroom and on the court. He will add value to everything we do as a program.”

Excluding the incoming freshman signees, Lewis is the first new addition to the Rice basketball roster for the upcoming season. You can follow all offseason roster moves with our Rice basketball roster tracker here.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Owls putting together strong 2022 class

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The 2022 Rice basketball recruiting class is coming together quite nicely with two players already in the fold for the Owls so far.

Head coach Scott Pera and company have returned to Tudor Fieldhouse and turned their focus to the upcoming season. Practice tipped off last week. For the past few weeks, though, the future of the program has been at the forefront of their minds as they look to put the finishing touches on the 2022 Rice basketball recruiting class.

The Owls have assembled a two-man class thus far, drawing from programs all over the nation to find the right pieces for the upcoming class. First came Andrew King, a guard from Arizona who stuck with Rice from October until March when he announced he was decommiting from the program. At that point, Rice had already added another commitment, this time from guard Mekhi Mason.

Mason made his pledge to the Owls in January and has stuck with Rice from that point onward. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is an aggressive scorer who looks comfortable with the ball in his hands. He’s not afraid to attack the rim and should fit in well at #GreenLightU.

The most recent commitment came from Andrew Akuchie. The forward from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida gives the Owls some length in this class. Although he’s comfortable in the front court, he’s able to score from multiple levels and moves fluidly up and down the court.

Once they sign and become official, those two will be available to help the Owls on the court for the starting of the 2022 season. They’ll follow a 2021 class that includes transfers Carl Pierre and Terrance McBride, as well as freshmen Jaden Geron, Damion McDowell and Jackson Peakes.

Given the turnover and uncertainty that surrounds college basketball today, it’s entirely possible, if not likely, the Owls add at least one more to this class before it’s finalized. For now, it’s a very good start.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Forward Andrew Akuchie commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice basketball recruiting class added one more to their numbers this week, picking up a commitment from versatile forward Andrew Akuchie.

After retooling the roster prior to the 2021 season, the 2022 Rice Basketball recruiting class was likely slated to include a handful of players. The longest-tenured commitment comes from guard Mekhi Mason committed in January. Now, with the summer winding to a close, Rice adds the first forward in the 2022 class: Andrew Akuchie.

Akuchie hails from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Like King and Mason before him, this out-of-state product should fit in well with the Owls’ fast pace offensive style. Akuchie mentioned the Owls’ tempo and willingness to push the ball in transition was something he was particularly excited to be apart of when he gets to campus, mentioning Pera’s willingness to let his players make plays. “Anyone can push the ball in transition,” Akuchie said.

On the court, the fit makes a lot of sense. The 6-foot-8 forward can hold his own inside and has the ability to score from different levels of the court. Aligning him with the quick-trigger guard play already on campus will add an extra dimension to the Owls’ offense.

At the time of his commitment, Akuchie picks Rice over offers from Albany, Lafayette and Canisius. All four programs had offered Akuchie over the summer, Albany first in early May and Rice coming not long after in mid June.  Princeton and Holy Cross were in the running down the stretch, but after some time to get to know the staff and get a better feel for Rice, Akuchie had seen all he needed to see to make his decision.

“The coaching staff [is] supportive,” he said, adding it was evident that the coaches “care a lot about their players.” That familial atmosphere was important for him. And now he’s set to be a Rice Owl.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Guard Terrance McBride commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice basketball recruiting class has added another significant piece. Cornell transfer guard Terrance McBride has committed to the Owls.

One more member of the 2021 Rice basketball recruiting class is officially on board. Terrance McBride, a combo guard from Cornell, will transfer to Rice. McBride did not play last fall or this spring as the Ivy League opted to not participate in basketball competitions this season.

When he was on the court, McBride averaged 12.7 points and 3.2 assists per game, second most on the team. He seldom came off the court, averaging 32.9 minutes per game. Having a ball handler to pair with dangerous shooters like Quincy Olivari and Travis Evee could take an already dangerous offense to another level next season.

McBride is a facilitator who will set others up for success. The audio is a bit off on the clip below, but this play showcased some of his decision making and vision on the court.

As things currently stand, Rice only has two seniors on its roster, both graduate transfers in Ege Havsa and Tre Clark. The Owls will still be young next season. When McBride is eligible to play, he’ll presumably join Payton Moore and Chris Mullins as the elder statesmen on the roster. Beyond that pair, the team primarily consists of underclassmen.

Diversifying classes with veterans and younger players was an important takeaway from the Owls’ roster churn in previous years. Rice doesn’t want to become dependent on the Transfer Portal. That said, they’re going to have to adapt to that aspect of recruiting in today’s game. McBride is a positive development on that front.

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